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Arizona Greyhound Racing – HB 2536 passes in the House

by on Mar. 03, 2011, under Animal Cruelty, Animal News, Dogs, Canines, Fun with Fido, Barking Encouraged

Gordon loves his toys

Greyhound Racing – HB 2536 passes the Arizona House

This bill HB 2536 passed the House yesterday 42-15. For someone like me who has been anti-racing since I adopted my first greyhound in 1998 — I’m cautiously optimistic.

The bill was introduced by Rep. Vic Williams on behalf of Tucson Greyhound Park. And then was amended by J.D. Mesnard, a 30-year-old new politico kid on the block.

There has been no mention of animal cruelty during any of these hearings and readings. Whatever. As long as this bill passes is fine with me.

If you want to know about Arizona greyhound racing abuse, there are plenty of articles online that capture it, among them, the 140+ missing greyhounds, the dogs ongoing confinement in South Tucson, kennel filth, the 8 greyhounds who died while being transported from Oklahoma to Arizona, and most recently — this very graphic and painful-to-watch video of racing injuries at Tucson Greyhound Park.

Currently, there are 7 states where greyhounds still race. Arizona is one of them. To learn more about the plight of the racing greyhound and what is happening across the country and the efforts to end it, visit GREY2K USA.

How did your AZ legislators vote on HB 2536?

Can someone please explain to me what NV means? I know it means “no vote” by why does a legislator have the right to not vote?

Does it mean they a) don’t understand the bill, b) accepted contributions from both side of the fences and don’t want to offend anyone, c) lack courage, d) other?

(Photo is courtesy of Cindy Hall. She adopted Gordon from Arizona Greyhound Rescue. Cindy Hall says, “Gordon suffers from serious arthritis- the x-rays show significant trauma in his front wrists and the swelling leaves them the size of oranges. Sunny-D also has 2 broken & dislocated toes from racing. I hate what the track has done to my dogs.”)

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 3rd, 2011 at 6:49 am and is filed under Animal Cruelty, Animal News, Dogs, Canines, Fun with Fido, Barking Encouraged. Tags for this post: , , , , , , , , , , . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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  • http://tucsoncitizen.com/tucson-tails karyn

    Someone emailed me privately to say “NV – Not voting” usually means that they are not present for the vote – they could be absent or may have just stepped away from the floor for one reason or another.

    • susan

      It can also mean an unwillingness to take a position.  If you recall then-state senator Obama voted “present’ numerous times in IL.  There is no requirement that you vote just because you are there for the vote.

      In any case, I am thrilled this passed the House.  I too have been against the crueltyu inherent in geryhound racing and the pathetic conditions for dogs at TGp since I adopted my first greyhound Rocket in 1999.

  • katezona

    Step in the right direction, thanks to the dedication of so many people standing up for the greyhounds.

  • Anna Townsend

    I see that three people did not vote – Senator Melvin in my District was not shown as having voted. Either he was one of the three or perhaps something he considered more important came up – who knows. However, I’m delighted that HB 2536 passed the house and I thank Representative Vic Williams for sponsoring the bill. I would have danced a jig with my retired racing greyhound Beamer but as he suffers with sore shoulder muscles due to his racing days, I jigged alone. Yet another casualty of dog racing in Arizona. Thanks to all legislators that voted yes, and thanks to all concerned citizens that contacted their Representatives and Senators to make this happen.

  • http://none paul

    That beautiful greyhound in that picture would not have been born if there wasn’t greyhound racing.
    If you eliminate greyhound racing in this country absolutely nobody will ever own a dog like that because nobody will be breeding them anymore.   Hundreds of thousands of people in this country have been introduced to and owned greyhounds for practically NOTHING all because of the sport of greyhound racing.
    That’s the irony of these anti greyhound people like the author of this article.   Greyhound racing gives them a beautiful, healthy dog and then they go all over the internet spewing lies about the sport.   And 99.9% of them like this woman have NO CLUE what they are talking about.    They never worked in a kennel or at a track.   All they know is what those thieves / morons  at Grey2K tell them.

    • http://tucsoncitizen.com/tucson-tails karyn

      Paul
      There are Corgis and Golden Retrievers and they don’t race. There are AKC greyhounds and they don’t race. There will always  be greyhounds. They just won’t be the throwaway breed they are now.  There will be less of them and less animal cruelty too.

      • http://none Paul

        “There will be less of them”
         
        Quite the understatement right there.    Good luck finding one for $75 dollars or whatever it costs to adopt one.     You people have no idea what you are doing to this breed.     If you’re successful with this crazy crusade you people are on ,  you’re going to virtually eliminate the greyhound as a pet in America.    I highly doubt you’re going to be successful though.    Logic will triumph over idiots.
        Just like when Grey2K helped get racing banned in Massachusetts.     All it did was cause the dogs to be moved to another track,   lost jobs,  lost tax revenues.      It helped nobody not even the dogs.

        • Eric

          Paul, your statement has already been addressed by Karyn, but you can’t get your head wrapped around the fact that this myth of the vanishing greyhound is just that, a myth.  If there were fewer greyhounds being bred, then there would be fewer greyhounds, period.  There would be fewer greyhounds kept in cages, fewer greyhounds killed because they’re unfit to race, fewer greyhounds abandoned because they’re not winning races any longer.

    • Eric

      No, Paul.  Greyhound racing gives us hundreds, even thousands, of greyhounds with severe injuries, infested with ticks, with parasites and worms, undernourished, skittish, frightened, abused, and scarred.  Greyhound racing gives adoption groups greyhounds who need extensive medical care, and leaves those groups to cover those expenses with donations or money from their own pockets.
      You, sir, are the one perpetuating lies and myths here.

    • Eric

      Paul, with your incredible abilities, please tell us about “this woman”.  What do you know about Karyn’s experience with greyhounds, with kennels, with tracks, etc?  Or are you just projecting your own ignorance onto someone who disagrees with you?

    • Noni

      Paul, how ignorant you are. These retired racers don’t come “for practically nothing”  to their new homes. Most of them have severe, post-racing injuries and medical issues which were never attended to while they were in the racing kennels. These greyhounds are not given to anyone “for nothing” – they are adopted and the new owners have to pay the fees for adoption and sterilization and then they have to follow up with the medical issues and trauma these dogs have had. You just don’t know half of the story. I have been directly, hands-on involved with these traumatized, neglected and injured greyhounds from a track and know what I’m talking/writing about.

  • http://none Paul

    Actually I mispoke.    It did help somebody.   It helped Christine Dorkchak and Carey Thiel of Grey2K with all the money from donations to their group that they deposited in their own bank accounts.
    I’d like to see the item by item breakdown of Grey2k’s “expense account” which had close to $250,000 in it the last time I looked at their tax return.    Not to mention the 80, 000 to 90,000 in salary that they took.

    • http://ironicusmaximus.blogspot.com Ironicus

      Hey Paul:
      When changing the subject to avoid talking about something inconvenient, or for which you don’t really have a reply, try using a transition like “You think greyhound racing is bad? You should see how much money Carey Theil makes!” or something along those lines. When you just start spouting off about something that no one has mentioned and really isn’t what the discussion is about it just makes people think you’re trying to avoid the topic at hand.
      Oh wait, you are trying to avoid the topic at hand. My bad.
       

    • Eric

      Isn’t it ironic that you can look at Grey2K’s books and make your inflammatory comments, but have you tried to look at the track books? Who is making money off the greyhounds, Paul?  How much do greyhound owners/kennel operators/track officials pocket from putting these wonderful creatures in jeopardy by racing them around a track with tight turns.
      Speaking of looking into the racing industry, heck, try getting into a racing kennel to see what’s happening there and you get turned back at the gate.  A manager at Tucson Greyhound Park claimed he turned a reporter and cameraman away because he was afraid people would “misinterpret” what they saw.

  • Eric

    Even better, Paul, why don’t you tell us about your vast experience with greyhounds.  And what about your experience with Grey2K?  Have you worked with them?  Have you read the information they publish?  Have you done anything more than accepted as truth the lies published by other people with no more knowledge than yourself?

  • Schember

    Congratulations!  Karyn, I laud your and GREY2K’s efforts in helping to the legislation passed.  This is terrific news!!

  • Schember

    Or rather… in helping to get the legislation passed.  :-)   Good work!

  • susan

    Another nail in the long-overdue coffin for greyhound racing.  Say, where can I get one of those “healthy” ex-racers for $75?  My 5 recued greyhounds have cost THOUSANDS each in vet bills resulting from genital injuries  and heart problems caused by steroids, broken bones, gastrointestinal and dental problems due to poor quality contaminated raw meat, and more.  Personally?  I love greys but would happily trade the possibility of having one for seeing a total end to greyhound racing in this country.  Thanks to Vic Williams for this bill, and let’s party when the last live race is run at the hideous Tucson Greyhound Park.

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